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ZX Computing Issue 3
This issue was dated Oct/Nov 1982 and cost £1.75 News Edinburgh rules O.K. - 1 page (65) : The Edinburgh ZX Computer Show, organised by Gordon Hewit and the Edinburgh ZX Users Club, was a resounding success. Getting Picturesque - (66) : Picturesque in West Wycombe have produced a machine code de-bug monitor tape known as the ZX-MC. Designed to run on the 16K ZX8l it allows you to enter, run and de-bug machine code programs independently of BASIC programs. The Plot Thickens - (66) : If you want a simple way to make your ZX81 or Spectrum programs more exciting the products available from Print n' Plotter will help you. What People are Saying - (67) : As can be imagined, a number of publications In America have taken note of the ZX81 and Clive Sinclair. Expressing an interest - (67) : The response to this test-mailing was so good they decided to offer it to 2.000,000 of their card holders. The £49.95 ZX 81 - (68) : The ZX81 price has been cut, as was expected, from £69.95 to £49.95. Sinclair gets the nod - (68) : After being excluded from the BBC program and from the government s "Let's put a micro in every secondary school'' scheme, no one could have blamed Cllve and his gang for feeling that someone up there didn't like them.'' Reviews 3D Defender - J.K. Greye Software - Joseph Nicholson - ⅓ page (45) :About the best way I can sum up this game is "GREAT"! The game is good value at £4.95, with graphics second only to the real arcade game. My only minus for the game is that it does take quite a long time to learn to play properly. But then, most games that are too simple become boring after a time anyway. Recommended. Gulp - Campbell Systems - Joseph Nicholson - ⅓ page (45-46) : The game is exciting, addictive and great fun to play. Cassette Three - Michael Orwin - James Walsh - ¼ page (46-47) : Altogether it is a well produced, good value for money cassette with eight very good to mediocre games on it. Cassette Four - Michael Orwin - James Walsh - ¼ page (47) : Without sounding pushy I would like to conclude this review by saying — if you have a ZX81 and like games, then you should buy Michael Orwin's cassette 4. Bargain Bytes 2 - Richard Shepherd - James Walsh - ¼ page (47) Flight Simulation, Space Raiders, Fantasy Games, VU-CALC, VU-FILE - Sinclair Research - Nick Pearce - 3 pages (74-76) : Of the six cassettes I reviewed, I was particularly impressed by FLIGHT SIMULATION. It is a novel and apparently authentic simulation which must have taken considerable effort to compile, and of which Psion should feel proud. All the programs maintained a high standard, and together must represent some of the better software available for the ZX81. Jungle Maths, Resistor, Numprac, Letterhunt/Spell - James Walsh - 2 pages (100-101) Chess (Sinclair Research) & ZXChess II (Artic Computing) - Nick Pearce - 2 pages (120-121) : Both the Psion and the Artic chess programs play a reasonable game. The Artic program plays a stronger, more sophisticated game, and with its save and move listing features will be the more attractive for serious users. For the casual player, who wants just an occasional game of chess, Psion is a reasonable alternative. The Psion program is more user-friendly, and I particularly liked its 'resign' facility. Screen Kit 1 (Picturesque) & Graphics Toolkit (JRS Software) - 2 pages (124-125) : A number of tool kits' are available to make it possible to write better programs on the ZX81. zx Computing staff look at two of them, Screen Kit 1 from Picturesque and Graphics toolkit from JRS Software. Features Contents - 2 pages (4-5) Editorial/Letters - 3 pages (8-10) More hints 'n' tips to improve your programs - 6 pages (12-17) : In our last issue, Dilwyn Jones, an experienced ZX programmer from North Wales shared a number of useful techniques for working with the ZX81. This article proved so popular, we've asked Dilwyn to pass on a few more ideas. Hardware: Adding a keyboard to the Spectrum - 2 pages (24-25) : Stephen Adams looks at the electronics beneath the zx keyboards, and tells you how to add an extension keyboard of your own. Hardware: Microprocessors and bus systems - 1 page (31) : We look at the most commonly used microprocessors, and delve into the mysteries of the S-100 bus. Hardware: Ready, Steady, Go! - 2 pages (32-33) : In the first issue of ZX Computing, Henry Budgett and Tim Hartnell discussed the standard benchmark tests used to test the speed of various functions on microcomputers. Stephen Tyler and Mark Dulling of Kingsbridge in Devon decided to get out their stopwatches, and put a number of popular computers through their paces, to see how they measured up. Hardware: Noisy little things; Making music; Get a load of this - 3 pages (35-37) Programming: Moving with the Flow - 2 pages (42-43) : If you're bogged down with a bug, a flowchart can help. Henry Budgett, editor of Computing Today, tells you how to go about it. Programming your computer for board games - 6 pages (48-53) : There is one common thread which can hold together computer programs for such games as draughts, chess, reversi and even Nine Mens Morris. Tim Hartnell reveals the secret, and shows how it can be used to write an intelligent board game — from scratch. Hardware: Getting a Little Joy - 1 page (59) : Jeremy Ruston takes a firm grip on a Microgen Joystick... and likes what he finds. Structured Programming - 2 pages (82-83) : Although the art of programming is not a discipline with a long history, a consensus has grown up regarding the merits of writing programs in a structured way. In this article, Tim Hartnell briefly introduces some of the key ideas of structured programming. Mastering machine code on your Spectrum - 3 pages (93-95) : Toni Baker, author of 'Mastering Machine Code on Your ZX81', turns her attention to the Spectrum with this article, the first in a series designed to take you through machine code from its very beginnings to its ultimate conclusions. ZX Education: The Ideal School Computer - 2 pages (98-99) : David Valentine looks at the ZX81 and asks if it really is the best machine for schools to use, even at £70. Linear programming, and OPTIMAX - 1 page (111) : Linear programming is a mathematical technique that has been used to solve all sorts of problems, by performing an optimisation on information you supply it. Hiderbay's program OPTIMAX is designed to give the ZX81 owner access to this powerful decision-aiding technique. Machine Specifications - 3 pages (128-130) Type-Ins Foxing About - 4 pages (20-23) : In FOX AND CHICKEN, written by Jim McCartney of Coleraine, you take part in a high speed chase through a maze. Playing the program calls on all your reflexes and luck — and demands an ability to keep cool in a crisis. Slot Machine Fever - 4 pages (26-29) : Catch one-armed bandit fever with this 7K program for the 16K ZX81 written by Adam Waring and Mike Cleverley of Hull. The Yellow ZX of Eighty - 1½ pages (38-39) : From Vaxjo, in Sweden, Lars Johansson, sent us this great program to play 'The Yellow Rose of Texas' on a ZX80. Ground to Air Missile - 1 page (41) : From Cork in Ireland, Aidan Walsh and Kevin MacCarthy present G.A.M. for the 1K ZX81. Hit the deck - 1¼ page (56-57) : John Butler and Dave Groombridge have written this program in which you have to try and land a plane on an aircraft carrier, during a particuarly violent wind. Pegging about - ¾ page (57) A test of skill and nerves - 2 pages (60-61) : Jim Archer of Frimley, Surrey, puts you in command of your ZX81 in a well written GRAND PRIX program. Going Gregorian - 2 pages (62-63) : Want to know what day it is? Just get out your ZX81, fiddle with the 16K pack till it sits in place, connect up your recorder, wait a week or two while this program loads... and there you are. Doodle-Bug - 1 page (69) : Here's the perfect way to while away those long summer evenings — with a ZX81 doodle-bug written by Paul Morris of Alford, Lincolnshire. Getting things in order - 2 pages (72-73) : This program is a useful one if you have to sort a list into order, or to produce an index for a book. There are two versions — one for the ZX81 and one for the ZX Spectrum. The programs are by Tim Hartnell. Navarone ablaze! - 3 pages (78-80) : A few user-defined graphics here, a blob of colour there, a BEEP or two to keep the neighbours bemused, and Ken North of Ashford, creates this program to keep trigger fingers twitching. Keeping things in proportion - 1 page (84) : Tim Rogers of Richmond turns his programming skill to solving the problem of messy word output. Surging away into space - 1 page (85) : Also from Tim Rogers comes this 1K 'arcade game'. High Security / Magic Dollar Seeds - 3 pages (88-90) : Paul Holmes from Sutton Coldfield, author of the J.R.S. Software "Graphics Tool Kit", brings us a couple of clever games for the 16K ZX81. The Secret of LIFE - 1 page (97) : We set you a problem, and show one way to solve it Watts that? - 1 page (103) : This program, written by D. Buckley of Aston-under-Lynnel is ideal for students studying physics, who have to carry out a number of Joule or watt calculations. Electrical Circuits - 3½ pages (104-107) : From Paisley, Scotland, Thomas Ballantyne has sent us a program which was devised to calculate and illustrate — using circuit and phasor diagrams — the characteristics of a series AC electrical circuit. The program is for a 16K ZX81. Preparing a tape directory for the ZX81 - 2 pages (108-109) : The ability of the ZX81 to SAVE and LOAD a named program on tape opens up new and interesting possibilities. James Calderwood, Coleraine, explains how it is, possible to load a program from a directory, by just entering the number printed beside the program of your choice. Tracking down those pounds - 2 pages (112-113) : Not only can you play games in your ZX81, but now, with a number of programs, you can keep track of your personal finances. Along the wire / Sketch pad - 3 pages (114-116) : From Aughton in Lancashire, Daniel Haywood presents two challenging 16K programs — ALONG THE WIRE and a sophisticated SKETCH PAD — which allows you to save pictures you've created on tape. Computer aided instruction - 2 pages (118-119) : A computer can be quite useful in educational situations, especially when the production of randomly chosen questions is needed. This program which asks the student to identify capital cities can easily be adapted to deal with a variety of subjects. Making your ZX work - 1½ pages (122-123) : When you're ZX81 gets tired of zapping invaders, you can put it to work^with the following utility programs. Adverts Games *'Kayde Electronic Systems Ltd' - VIC-20: The Kayde Valley, Othello - page 3 *'D.J. Moody' - ZX81: Adventure - page 18 *'DK'Tronics' - ZX81: Centipede, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Defender - page 19 *'Richard Shepherd Software' - Spectrum: Jackpot Fruit Machine - Submarine Attack, Ship of the Line, Shaken but not Stirred, ZX81, Spectrum: Super Space Mission, Monster Mine - page 39 *'Michael Orwin Software' - ZX81: Cassette One, Cassette Two, Cassette Three, Cassette Four - page 44 *'Panda Software' - ZX81, Spectrum: Sea War, IQ Game Pack I, Adder - page 44 *'Newsoft Products' - ZX81, Spectrum: Roulette, Time Bandits, Rampage, Secret Valley, The Great Western - page 54 *'Mikro-Gen' - ZX81: ZX Bomber, ZX Space Invaders, ZX Breakout, ZX Scramble, Sorcerer's Castle, Chess - page 58 *'Moviedrome Video' - ZX81: The Tomb of Dracula - page 58 *'Artic Computing' - ZX81: ZXChess I, ZXChess II, 1k ZX Chess, Adventure A: Planet of Death, Adventure B: Inca Curse, Adventure C: Ship of Doom, Galaxians, Adventure D: Espionage Island, Namtir Raiders, Gobbleman, Spectrum: Spectrum Chess - page 64 *'John Prince Software' - ZX81: Astro Invaders, Planet Defender - page 64 *'Hilderbay Ltd' - ZX81, Spectrum: Gold - page 81 *'CCS' - ZX81, Spectrum: Autochef, Airline, Print Shop - page 87 *'Silversoft' - ZX81: Space Invaders, Asteroids, Alien Dropout, Star Trek, Super-Wumpus, Graphic Golf, Games Pack 1, Muncher, Spectrum: Orbiter, Ground Attack - page 92 *'Giltrole Ltd' - ZX81: Nasty Invaders, Nasty Mountain, Very Nasty Mountain - page 96 *'J.K. Greye Software' - ZX81: 10 Games, Starfighter - Pyramid - Artist, Catacombs, 3D Monster Maze, 3D Defender, Breakout - page 102 *'Addictive Games' - Spectrum, ZX81, ZX80, TRS-80 - Football Manager - page 102 *'Microware' - Spectrum: Alien Command, Backgammon - page 107 *'Phipps Associates' - ZX81: Adventure Tape One, The Nowotnik Puzzle - page 110 *'Quicksilva' - Spectrum: Space Intruders, Meteor Storm - page 132 Magazines *Personal Software Issue 2 - page 92 Other Credits Editorial Assistant :Helen Bruff Managing Editor :Ron Harris Contributors :Dilwyn Jones, Stephen Adams, Joseph Nicholson, James Walsh, Henry Budgett, Jeremy Ruston, Nick Pearce, Toni Baker, David Valentine External Links You can find this magazine at the World of Spectrum archive. Issue Index Category:Contains ZX-81 Reviews